


Friendship & Love

by WanderingBandurria



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Biking, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Getting Together, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Multi, Sirius Black & Lily Evans Potter Friendship, learning new things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27243091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingBandurria/pseuds/WanderingBandurria
Summary: Sirius needs Lily’s help for a secret project.Lily probably has better things to do.This is how Lily’s and Sirius’ friendship happened in their seventh year.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	Friendship & Love

**Author's Note:**

> I asked for fluff prompts on Tumblr and SwottyPotter was kind enough to give me this one: "one person has never learned to do something very simple (tie their shoe laces, tell time, whistle, cook pasta, etc) and the other one tries to teach them. hilarity and fluff ensues".  
> I really liked working in this one. As usual, I'm so grateful for my beta LikeABellThroughTheNight, who makes my English decent enough to post these fics. Still, English is not my first lenguage so if you spot any remainding mistake, is all on me! please let me know in the comments so that I can correct the fic and improve my English.  
> So this is mostly fluff in the friendship form, with the ships' get together as more of a background thing.  
> I hope you enjoy this little piece!

\---

  
  


"Evans. Can we talk in private?" Sirius says, looking around the room like it owes him something. It’s just the way he always looks around, Lily thinks, but it still annoys her.

She really doesn't want to go right now - she's cozy by Alice's side, her friend promised to braid her hair later, and the expression in Black’s face makes her want to tell him to _stop being an idiot,_ but then he looks her in the eye, and there’s something sad and honest there, so she just sighs, nods, and follows him to an alcove on the way to the boy's bedroom.

"What is it?" She asks, crossing her arms.

"Er. I need to ask you a favour," Sirius says, looking everywhere but her eyes before sighing defeated. Lily doesn't think she has ever seen him look like that - she’s not sure, but she thinks he looks vulnerable. She kind of likes it, and even though she would never recognize it, she may be able to understand ( _maybe)_ why some of her friends have a crush on this boy. _It's what is behind the façade_ , Ilana had said one day, but Lily had just snorted at the moment. _What, more idiot juice?_ She had asked. 

She feels herself blush at the memory. 

"Um,” Sirius continues, making her put her attention back on him. “Could you teach me how to ride a muggle bicycle?" Black says in one breath, swallowing so hard after, that she can hear him.

She frowns, her mind racing.

"Why don't you ask Remus? His mom's muggle, he knows how to ride," she says, trying to gain time because she's not sure about what to say at the odd request.

"I'm… kinda counting on him not knowing. I just… can you not tell anyone? I don't want people around knowing…"

" _Oh_ ,” she interrupts him, frowning. “So it's a pride thing then. I don't see why should I -"

"It's not a pride thing Evans, I swear - please," he says, and he racks his fingers through his hair. He looks truly desperate and Lily's heart clenches, remembering the blank face of a twelve-year-old being shouted in public by a woman’s voice coming from a red envelope. "I want it to be a surprise. For Remus. I - fuck, I suck at explaining things. Can you help me, please? You are kind of my last hope. Marlene doesn’t have a bike and she’s not the best teacher - she yelled at me so much when she taught me the Beater’s basics and… Ah, please, Evans, I promise I'll tell you more later." 

Lily doesn't think she's ever heard him say _please_ twice - much less three times - in a conversation before.

"I have a lot of things to do, Black, between NEWTs and being Head Girl and all…" but then she glances at him one more time and he looks completely defeated, so she bites her lip and uncrosses her arms before tentatively resting her hand over his arm. "Ah, alright, okay!” she says in the end, shaking her head. “Only because you and Potter haven't been half as bad as usual this year. Meet me tomorrow afternoon at the little beach where that weird purple murtlap sunbathes sometimes," and Black - _Sirius_ \- nods so relieved and happy, that she can't stop smiling. "Transfigure something into a helmet though, because I'm not lending you mine," and with that, she turns around, and walks back to Alice's side.

\---

"Come on Black, get a grip of yourself! I transfigured some training wheels for you, it's not like you can fall!" She yells as she walks behind him, laughing.

The sun filters through the trees around her, making her skin feel warm. She breathes deeply, happy, basking in this little break the cold wind of autumn is giving them.

"You get a grip, woman! How am I supposed to do this? It makes no sense!"

"Push forward on the pedals, Sirius, and direct the bike with the handlebar, as I told you. Put your weight on your arms and - small movements, Black, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WATCH OUT!" 

And even when Sirius is _barely_ moving forward on her enlarged bike, she sees how he slowly, but surely, leads the bike straight towards the step by the side of the road they are using for him to practice. Before she can catch up with him, he’s falling down, his hands clutching the handlebar as the bike slides on its side over the autumn’s leaves. Lily manages to react in time to cast a cushioning charm under him, just before he lets go of the bike, rolls, and ends up face-down in the grass and dirt.

As she jogs towards him, she can hear him moan softly and curse, so after a quick check (“are you okay?”, “yes”), she starts to laugh, losing it to the point she has to plop down on the floor by his side, hurting her bum on the process.

Sirius turns to splay himself on the ground like a starfish facing the sun and looks at her smiling. His trousers are a mess and there’s a big gash on them. She can see a large rubbing burn on the skin of his calf.

"So. Is Tuesday good for you for a second lesson?" he asks cheekily, his hair a big mess, full of strands of grass. Lily can just nod, as she starts laughing again.

\---

“So,” she says huffing, trying to get a strand of hair out of her face. “Are you going to explain to me this time what all this biking business is about?” 

“I want to ask Remus out,” Sirius says, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he tries to keep the handles straight. “I’m thinking of making a picnic for him in this clearance in the Forbidden Forest, and I want to take him on his bike to make it a surprise, and then ask him out for the next Hogsmeade weekend,” he says, and he does a weird gesture. She thinks he’s trying to shrug, without really managing to do so on the bike.

“Oh,” Lily says, and she feels herself smile. “Didn’t know you fancied him.”

“Have for ages. Was waiting for things to go back to normal after --” and he cuts himself off, sinking his heels on the floor to stop. “Doesn’t matter. Things are good now. This is our last year here and I want to…” but he trails off again, looking down at his boots with a frown. They are covered in dirt.

“You can use the breaks next time,” she says, and at his quizzical look, she points to the metal paddles. “Remember I explained them to you? You pull at them - SOFTLY - and they’ll make the wheels stop,” she says. Sirius frowns, but then he nods. “And don’t worry. I won’t tell Remus, nor anyone else, about your plan beforehand. I think it’s sort of sweet. I hope it works out,” she says, starting to walk away so that Sirius doesn’t see the smile on her face.

\---

“Are you ready to lose the training wheels?” she asks while clapping her hands together, two weeks later. They had been chatting and laughing about the essay due for McGonagall’s class and Peter’s failed attempts to postpone the turn-in date while Sirius rode back and forth from her, since she’s walking and Sirius could now manage a decent speed on the bike. They’ve arrived at a part of the road where there are no more curves, so she thinks it’s a good place for Sirius to start biking without the wheels.

Sirius smiles brightly as he stops the bike in front of her. “Of course I am,” he says, as she takes her wand out to turn the wheels back to the rack that usually hangs on the back of her bike.

And even though on the surface he looks as confident as usual, she can see the second of panic in Sirius’ eyes as the training wheels disappear. 

“I’ll take hold of the seat and run behind you until you feel ready to go for it on your own,” she says, reassuringly.

“Yeah, alright,” Sirius says looking resolutely in front of him, before sitting back on the bike and starting to pedal. Lily runs by his side, one hand on the back of the seat, as she yells encouragements, even when the bike shakes and Sirius looks about to overbalance at every second.

\---

“So you know about Remus,” Sirius starts, grasping the bike’s handle tightly, his face set and serious.

“Yes. Since last year. I asked him and he confirmed it,” she says, licking on her white vanilla ice-cream. She loves having ice-cream on cold days, so she decided to indulge herself today. “Go for another round, and if you don’t fall, I’ll answer another question,” she says, and Sirius rolls his eyes, but starts pedalling nonetheless.

When he’s back, he’s a bit breathless, after accelerating in the middle of the turn. He’s been trying out his skills on the bike since Lily said that she won’t get onto the bike with him, so he can practice riding with someone on the bike with him, until she’s certain that they won’t fall.

“You know what happened with Snape then?” he asks, and his face is neutral, but Lily can read him by now - and she sees he’s nervous about her answer.

“I do. I wanted to punch you in the face when Remus told me, to be honest. It also made me want to slap Severus, since a lot of the things he used to imply started making sense all of a sudden. I won’t tell you what he used to say - but just be assured he won’t say them again in front of me. Another lap, Sirius,” she says then.

When Sirius is back, he says quickly.

“So it’s true then. You aren’t friends any more - haven't been since Fifth year? I thought you might -” But Sirius stops in his tracks, and shakes his head. “You know what? No, I’m not wasting my question on that -” and he cuts himself again. “When are you going to ask James out?” he says in the end, raising his chin, looking pleased with himself at her shock.

He’s not wearing the helmet - he had never wear one, he never even brought one. _He looks utterly ridiculous with that leaf in his hair_ , she thinks with vengeance, but she just rolls her eyes and bites her tongue.

“I’m not going to ask him out. The fact that we are managing to get along doesn’t mean -” she starts, but Sirius is the one to interrupt this time.

“Oh pft, Lily, that’s an easy excuse. I’m not saying that Marlene should ask Alice out because they get along,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I’m not implying that you should ask him out _just because_ you get along. I’m asking you about James because _I know_ you fancy him. I see how you look at him,” he says, with a big smile on his face.

A glob of melted ice-cream falls on her hand, sliding all the way to her wrist, and she curses under her breath.

“Another lap, Padfoot!” she says in a higher pitch than she intended. She shakes her head and licks from her wrist to her fingers.

Sirius doesn’t move - so after cleaning her hand, she looks back at him, annoyed.

Sirius looks panicked.

“You know about the nicknames?” he asks, his voice husky.

“Yes?” she asks with confusion, and Sirius pales. “I mean, I’ve heard you lot use them when you think no one is around. I tried to ask Remus what they were about, but he said they were silly inside jokes about how messy you keep things in your dorm,” she says with a frown, as she sees a drop of sweat fall from Sirius’ bow. “Is that not it?” she says, taking her wand out and making her melted ice-cream disappear.

Sirius swallows and then nods.

“Yeah, of course, that’s it. It’s just that for a second I thought Remus had told you the embarrassing stories behind them. I think I’m ready for us to try riding with you on the bike,” he says then, standing up from the seat.

Lily looks back at him, feeling her stomach roll with nerves.

“So… can I keep calling you Padfoot?”

Sirius smiles.

“Yeah, you can. Now stop stalling and get on the bike. I want to practice with you on the bike now. If things go right, this should be our last biking class, Lily,” he says, smiling again.

Lily smiles back, and before she can think more of it, she transfigures the rack into two footrests that go on the back wheel.

“You’ll have to do the trick with Remus’ bike so he doesn’t have to sit on his rack. It just hurts like hell,” she says, and Sirius laughs at that.

“Alright. Jump on, we are trying this _now_!” he says full of enthusiasm.

Lily is almost sure their laughter and screams can be heard all the way back to the castle, as Sirius starts to pedal and the wind sweeps her hair.

\---

She’s on the fourth-floor corridor, and it’s already after curfew. The golden light of the afternoon is disappearing quickly, and from the open window, she can see Remus’ red bike moving through the grounds to the Quidditch pitch, where they store the bikes.

She strains her eyes as much as she can, but she can’t see much more than the two figures on the bike - Sirius’ black hair shifting in the air as he pedals fast and certain, Remus’ white oversized shirt clearly out of his trousers since it swells and flattens with the air. There’s no sign of his jumper nor his robes, that he certainly had when he left the castle.

He should be freezing with the cold autumn breeze, but he doesn’t seem to be in any discomfort, she thinks. Remus’ arms are around Sirius’ shoulder - not just his hands, stiffly clutching his shoulders, as when they went towards the forest, but his arms are completely enveloping Sirius. Remus suddenly moves his face to Sirius’ shoulder, and Lily is not sure if he nuzzles or kisses or says something against Sirius’ neck, but her heart slams against her ribs with happiness at the intimacy of the gesture.

“Hey, Lily,” says a voice by her side, making her startle even when it’s soft and sweet. She turns, and by her side stands James, looking at the boys disappearing behind a turn towards the pitch. 

James’ eyes are soft behind his glasses as he smiles.

“So... things seem to have worked out, don’t you think?” he says as he turns to smile at her. “Thanks for helping Sirius out, Lily. I know how much your friendship means to him now,” he says, adjusting his glasses, and as she stays silently looking at him, he shifts nervously by his side. “Um. Sorry, do you want to be left alone? I’ll keep going now. I still have some classrooms to check before -”

“Hey James,” she says finally, making up her mind. The sun is setting and the torches cast weird shadows on his face, and she’s pretty sure she _likes_ this man now that she knows him - she knows how kind he is with the first-year students, how nice he’s with his friends and with the other girls of the year, how much he _cares_ and how he’s willing to stand up against bigotry and fight against Voldemort… - so who cares about the past when you have your whole future at hand? “Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend? On a date, I mean,” she says, raising her chin.

At James' startled expression, she smiles slowly. James blinks a couple of times, and before she realizes, she remembers Sirius’ voice calling _Prongs_ across a hallway, and thinks, _is that because of a deer or something_ , and she’s suddenly laughing - not just smiling, fully laughing.

“I’m sorry, I’m not joking, I promise you. It’s just that you look so confused, and you made me think of a - doesn’t matter -, and I know why you might think I’m not serious but…” she says, and she smiles again as she breathes in. “I would really like for us to go out on a date, James.”

He starts smiling as she talks, but still, she can see something weighing behind his eyes, like he’s pondering his own ideas, running his own internal arguments, figuring some things on his own.

“I would love to, Lily,” he says in the end. “Do you want to do the rest of our rounds together?” he asks, a gentle smile still on his face, as he swallows and adjusts his robes over his shoulders nervously.

Lily smiles too.

“That’ll be nice. Do you want us to go to the first floor, see if we catch Padfoot and Moony sneaking in?” she asks, and at James' startled, almost defensive expression at the use of the nicknames, she laughs again. “It’s alright, both of them allowed me to use their nicknames,” she says, and things seem to sink into James’ brain. He nods solemnly, even though he doesn’t say anything. 

With her heart beating fast in her chest, Lily reaches for James’ hand. “Shall we?” she asks, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit.

James smiles back and intertwines their fingers.

“Alright. Let’s see if we can catch them. I don’t think we will, though - those two are sneaky, and they know the castle as only a handful of people know it around here,” he says and he smiles brightly, before starting to walk. “Lucky for you, you are with one of the only other people that know it as well as they do,” he says.

Lily shakes her head, even though she’s still smiling.

“Lucky for you, you are with the Head Girl and two-years Prefect who knows all the prime places that couples use to snog. You are also with a person that has caught both Remus and Sirius snogging - separately thus far, of course - a handful of times already,” and she tugs one more time at James’ hand. “Now come on, we have to hurry up!”

James just nods this time and laughing, follows her through the halls.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! What other things about the Muggle world do you think James or Sirius struggle with? And on the other hand, what are things of the wizarding society that maybe Remus & Lily struggle with (aside from Remus' place given his lycanthropy, lmao)? I would love to read in what things you people believe they can help each other, and how different it might be for Lily and Remus, being muggleborn and half-blood.
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://wanderingbandurria.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
